Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Republican Party’s “unquenchable thirst to hurt the needy”

Alan Grayson’s description is spot on. Thank God he’s back in Congress, after being swept out in the Teatard Tsunami of 2010.Congressional reps Alan Grayson (Florida) and Mark Takano (Calif.) have announced that they’re drawing a “line in the sand” against President Obama bending over too far to placate the GOP. Grayson said cuts to certain social programs are “unconscionable,” and Progressives need to rally against the GOP’s “unquenchable thirst to hurt the needy.”Grayson and Takano have written a letter to the president saying they’re strongly opposed to any cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, “including raising the retirement age or cutting the cost of living adjustments that our constituents earned and need.”They’re hoping other Democrats will sign the letter.The two congressmen were joined in a conference call by National Organization for Women president Terry O’Neill, who said:“Women are far more likely to be entirely reliant on Social Security for their monthly income because they work a lifetime at unequal pay.”And she pointed out that two thirds of minimum wage jobs are held by women, and these jobs are less likely to offer health coverage or retirement pensions.Grayson added that cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are “cheating old people, cheating sick people and cheating poor people. It used to be that there was consensus on this. It used to be that Democrats and Republicans agreed that there should not be cuts in benefits to Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid. People used to call Social Security the third rail of American politics. But now, Republicans are not only touching the third rail, they’re dancing on it.”May they all get electrocuted.

8 Comments:

If he does start cutting into these social safety nets, the GoOpers will use it attacking the dems for doing it so they look like the good guys. Same old same old from them. ALEC has been doing their part too, in state legs, to try and get minimum wage stuff passed lately.

I'd like to see Joe Biden run for president in 2016 and win, with Grayson as his running mate. This is one example of why I'd like to see that. And, when Biden's term as president is up, I'd like to see Grayson succeed him.

Jerry, cutting Social Security benefits isn't about easing the deficit. It's about undermining public trust and reliance on the program. Republicans see that as a vital step in their never-ending quest to turn the program over to their real employers and sponsors, the financial industry.

SW: I'd be in favor of Biden in 2016 if he could win. Right now Hillary is doing better than anyone in the polling, whatever that's worth. I just want whichever Democrat can win; we have to do whatever it takes to keep the Corporate Mafia Party out of the White House.

I love Alan Grayson but he might be too blunt and outspoken to win a national election.

Jerry, SW: I agree wholeheartedly about the GOP's real motives behind their "concern" about Social Security.